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Alleluia PRAISE JESUS. I’m feeling very caps-lock-y today, because…It’s Easter. Which means it’s not Lent. Which means I get to eat SWEET THINGS. Like Snickers and chocolate eggs and Mike&Ike’s and Peeps. And everything in my Easter basket.

Look what I found in the cupboard!

Oh, happy day. Chocolate. Candy. Wondrousness.

But, of course, Easter isn’t about candy! Easter is about happy things. Well, a happy thing: Jesus rising from the dead (like a ninja. Jesus is actually way more epic than a ninja). It’s the happiest day of the year. Alleluia.

After long deliberation, I have finally decided to write to Bane, the principle antagonist from The Dark Knight Rises. There will be spoilers in this letter, so beware. I am experiencing so many feels…but here goes.

Bane, Evil Mastermind

205 Oblivion Avenue

Inferno, The Realms of Death

Dear Bane,

I don’t think you meant to be an evil terrorist.

You spent a long time in that prison. All those years damaged you, almost irreparably. But you helped Talia. You protected her, and helped her escape. You loved her. And that is why I don’t think you’re absolutely evil.

In the first scene of the movie, you’re pretty epic. All macho dude and everything. But why take all that epicness and try to ruin Gotham? Why did you need to channel your abilities into destruction? Revenge? Love? Hate?

Think of everything you could do if you weren’t so evil. You probably have the physical strength of three men combined, and are a strategist to top that. You’re brawn with brain. It would have been so much better for Gotham–and for you–if you had decided not to blow lots of things up. For one, you wouldn’t be dead.

And there we have another thing. When you’re evil, you have to make the right friends. You also have to avoid the worst enemies. Yes, Batman is the main person I’m talking about here. Of course he would never join you–you’re pro-bomb and he’s anti-bomb–but what about Selina? If you had played your cards more carefully, you could have kept her on your side. If you had done that, well…you probably wouldn’t be dead. Locked up, maybe. But not dead.

It’s all about choosing your enemies, Bane. And choosing your friends. Which you did with Talia. You helped her escape so long ago. There was at least a shred of goodness in you then. What happened to it? What stamped out that sympathy? It was inevitable that you would be hardened, toughened from your years in prison. Couldn’t you have tried to overcome it, though? Couldn’t you have chosen to be good?

I’ll admit it, I cried when you died. Sobbed is more like it, actually. And these are the reasons why:

1) Okay, despite the mask, you’re kind of attractive. Mainly in the first scene, I suppose. But still.

2) I cry over the death of any well-developed villain. It’s a fact.

3) But the main reason why I was so stricken by your death was because I wished you had become a better person. I wished you hadn’t died the villain. I wished you could have redeemed yourself, somehow, and moved on from the bitterness eating away at your soul. You had it in yourself to do that, and yet you chose not to while you lived. And for that, I am truly sorry for.

Okay. Enough with the mushy stuff. Let’s move onto the lighter fare.

First off, can you teach me how to fight? Your fighting is just spectacular. The combination of strength and agility works so well. Props to you.

Also, where do you even get masks like that? And how much do they cost? Did you rob a bank in order to purchase it? ‘Cuz I’m getting the feeling you didn’t have much pocket money back then. And is it a coincidence that that particular mask makes your voice sound like a techno Darth Vader? Or did you order it specifically for that purpose? Because…dude, that’s just cool. It looks a little primate-ish, but it’s still cool.

Oh, oh! This is a question I’ve been meaning to ask an antagonist…How do you come up with all of the melodramatic phrases? “The fire rises.” “Peace has cost you your strength! Victory has defeated you!” I must applaud you; you didn’t say many overly dramatic lines during The Dark Knight Rises. But there were some. There must be a book out there…Inspirational Quotes for Villains? How to Speak Pithily–World Domination Edition? Please, I’d love to know.

That’s all I have to say, Bane. If you’d like to reply (as you can see, I have many questions for you), feel free to write back. Maybe we can be penpals? I could offer you healing and advice, if you’d like.

Like this:

Yesterday I decided to find pictures and make a collage of things I like. It was rather fun, and I’ve decided to share the results with you here, so that we all can get to know each other better.

That sentence made me sound like a psychiatrist. EEP.

Anyways, here it is:

Yes, it’s all rather random, but it’s all ME. If you’re still interested, here’s the explanation, picture-by-picture (going around in a counterclockwise direction from the top lefthand corner) (But first we must address the center picture):

The insanity rainbow thingamajigger: Insanity is the word that best describes me, so when my equally insane friend Erin showed me this picture…I realized it explained my life. ISN’T IT GORGEOUS? It’s gorgeous.

When I was little, pandas were my favorite animal. I don’t know exactly why, but I still like pandas. And baby pandas are adorable. This is like a little piece of my childhood.

OM NOM NOM. Chocolate. I am one of those people who…well…has an addiction to chocolate. It’s wonderful. And that picture just makes me crave it more. Unfortunately, I gave up sweets for Lent. Only 14 days until Easter…(and yes, I do have a countdown calendar. I’m just cool like that. :)).

I fangirl over a surprising amount of people. Hugh Jackman is one of these people. ‘Nuff said.

This is my camera! Well, it’s actually the picture of my camera from the Nikon website, but it’s my camera, all the same. I love photography. Without my camera, it would be extremely difficult to take pictures. Therefore, I love my camera. Duh, guys.

MEHAHAHAHA. I like Mario Kart Wii. And Koopa Troopa is just so darn adorable I couldn’t resist adding him to my collage (instead of the not-so-adorable Mario).

I’m a fan of Lindsey Stirling, which explains this picture. But it also goes deeper and shows my love of music in general. Music is awesome, and Lindsey’s music is even more awesome.

I am a self-proclaimed Panemaniac. I went to the Hunger Games midnight premiere in 2012, and (hopefully!) I’ll be going to the Catching Fire premiere. I’ve read the books four times each and am a semi-geek about the whole franchise. (When my sister gave me a legit mockingjay pin for Christmas, I kind of freaked out and screamed and stuff.)

I am also a Les Mis fan. I constantly belt the songs at the top of my lungs (which my mother can attest to), and attend live performances whenever possible. Do you hear the people sing?

I have an infatuation with sponges. I have absolutely no idea why (I’m just a texture person in general, so that could explain it), but I love them to death. I occasionally proclaim the need to scrub the kitchen floor with a sponge. This makes my mom very happy. But really, who couldn’t love these beautiful, colorful sponges?

Although I still like Hugh Jackman more, I also fangirl over Robert Downey Jr. He’s an excellent actor, as well, so there’s that. Also, he is the first American I’ve seen to flawlessly execute a British accent (which he did in the Sherlock Holmes movies). That’s big. That’s HUGE. That’s AWESOMESAUCE.

I also have an infatuation with felt guards. Perhaps you’ve never heard of them. They’re little circular orbs (look at the picture!) which you stick on the bottom of chairs and stools so that the chair/stool doesn’t scratch the floor. I stuck one on my nightstand, and another on the underside of the kitchen table so I could have access to one virtually all the time. Their texture is just so delectable. Figuratively.

I don’t take dance lessons, but I love dancing. Hence, this picture. I don’t dance ballet, but I would love to own green or blue ballet slippers. Or orange.

As well as taking pictures, I like editing them on [free] photo editing sites. I am one of those people who doesn’t have Photoshop. Therefore, I have to make do with what I have. In this case, there’s a wealth of supplies available. PicMonkey is one of my favorites for photo editing. (So is Pixlr, but the PicMonkey logo looks cooler, okay?)

I’m a ninja. Duh, guys.

Inspector Javert is kick-butt. Yes, I am fascinated with most villains, and Javert is certainly not an exception. He’s. Just. So. EPIC.

Microsoft Office 2010 is boss. I heart it muchly.

That’s it. Everything you need to know about me, in collage form. I’ll also be posting this on my About page, simply because it expresses my favorite things. Yay.

Side note: if you, random person, greatly enjoy two or more of the items on this collage, I will probably like you. Just saying.

Like this:

This badge has been redone since I last saw it! It’s rather…pink. Ah, well. One can’t have it all.

So I’ve received the Liebster Award from Paulina’s blog. Gratias, Paulina. But actually, it would be more fitting to say that I took this award from her blog. I sort of cheat-accepted it, in a way. But no matter. It’s an award. I now have it. So I’m posting about it.

And of course with an award comes rules.

Post 11 things about yourself.

Answer the questions that the nominator has asked you.

Create 11 new questions and nominate 11 new and fresh blogs and link to them.

Go to their page and tell them about it!

Well, then. 11 things. Here goes nothing…or something…

1. Today I finished reading Scarlet by Marissa Meyer.

2. It was vastly enjoyable. I recommend it to the world.

3. In my spare time, I’m a ninja.

4. I’m participating in Camp Nano this April and July, because

5. I’m a procrastinator and can’t write anything unless I have a strong motivation to do so.

6. 11 facts is an awful lot.

7. I’m finding it incredibly difficult to come up with a pitch for either of my WIPs.

8. It’s irking me.

9. When I see an Australian person smile, I can’t help but feel happy.

10. When I hear an Aussie talk, I can’t help but feel happy.

11. #9 and #10 go double when we’re talking about Hugh Jackman.

And now we have some lovely questions!

1. What is a mannerism/habit you’ve picked up? There are so many. Lately, I’ve been saying “How picturesque,” especially in an ironic sense. And “No kidding,” as well. And when I’m standing in one place, I tend to shuffle my feet or the like. Ah, habits. Such lovely things.

2. What kind of music do you listen to? Uh…I listen to music. Of all different genres. Instrumental (esp. movie soundtracks), hard rock, and symphonic metal are the main stuff, I suppose. I also listen to selective pop music…when it’s catchy or interesting.

3. What’s a sport you follow? SPORTS. They are the bane of my existence. …I’m kidding. I like hockey, archery, and fencing (the last two aren’t very common, however). I don’t follow any of them, however.

4. What are your favorite things? Well, first off, raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens…Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens. AND WE CAN’T FORGET SCHNITZEL WITH NOODLES. In all seriousness however…there are lots of things that are my favorite! Ninjas. Books. Those little felt guards you put on the bottom of stools. Pizza. Chocolate. Dance. Hugh Jackman. Les Mis. Breathtaking photography. Fancy cameras that focus when you want them to. Double rainbows. Pandas. Baby koalas. Inspector Javert. Microsoft Word 2010. When PicMonkey uploads new effects. Oh, and we can’t forget writing!

5. Snow, sunshine, or rain? Call me clichéd, but I have to choose sunshine. When I wake up and there’s light streaming through the windows, I’m have a happy, effervescent feeling, like I’ve been filled with carbonated water. And the world seems like it’s a BEAUTIFUL, BREATHTAKING, WONDROUS PLACE instead of a dirty hole. Yeah. I also like those rare days when it’s raining through the sunshine. It sort of feels like a fairytale or something weird and cool like that.

6. If you could fulfill one dream on your bucket list without any effort on your part, would you? Yes.

7. If yes, what dream? If no, why not? One of my dreams is to travel the world. Yes, that’s the dream of every single person, so it seems, but it would be incredibly amazing to go to so many different places and experience all that. I like to call myself a photographer, so I would use the experiences to build my portfolio, as well. If I could do that without any effort…that’d be cool. Of course, that’s unrealistic, but it would be cool. :)

8. What’s the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to you? When I was picked up by my feet and carried upside down during a play rehearsal one day long, long ago. It was sort of hilarious.

9. What’s something funny that you recently said? Everything that I say is funny. To me.

10. If you didn’t actually have to have a day job to support yourself, what would you do in your life? Oh, so many things. First, I would take a trip to New Zealand and frolic merrily in the rolling hills. After that, I’d watch a lot of movies (Technically, I already do, but still.). I’d write things. I would read lots and lots of books. I would buy lots and lots of books, and spend my days smelling their wonderful new-book smell. I’d travel places and take pictures like a maniac (and probably look like a frenzied tourist while doing so). I would go throughout the country taste-testing for ice cream shops. Who wouldn’t?!

11. Would you (like me) this questionnaire to have 10 questions instead of 11? Actually, I was just wondering why the number 11 is so important to this award. It’s weird. But to be truthful, I don’t really care. 7. 10. 11. 13. I’m not particularly opinionated on the matter.

4. If you could live in any fantasy setting (Narnia, Middle-earth, etc.), which one would you choose?

5. Do you like answering questions or coming up with them?

6. Why did the chicken cross the road?

7. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

8. Are you an early bird or a night owl (in the figurative sense of the phrases)?

9. What is your “guilty pleasure” song–the one you don’t want to admit to liking, but secretly do? (Because…We have no secrets here.)

10. What is your favorite word in the English language?

11. What is your favorite type of mythical creature?

Now I’m supposed to nominate 11 people. Let’s see if I can do that…

…Well, it appears I cannot. Everybody I would have liked to nominate has already been given this award (some of them multiple times), so I’m going to do what Paulina did. If you’d like to receive this award, comment on this post and consider it granted to you. The first 11 people to comment will receive the award.

Annnnnnnd that’s all. I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging, but now I’m going to try to post weekly. I just had some revelations about possible posts, so that regular-posting-thing could turn into a real thing. So…

Like this:

So, there’s this contest that Lindsey Stirling is hosting (if you don’t know who Lindsey Stirling is…A) That is a sin B) Go look her up right now C) Three words: dancing hip-hop violinist). Basically you cover one of her original songs and post it on YouTube. Then she’ll pick a winner. Simple, right?

About two weeks ago, when the contest started, I didn’t bother looking into it. But then this Thursday, I suddenly got it into my head that I NEED TO SUBMIT A COVER TO THIS CONTEST.

Because of this semi-harebrained idea, I spent three days learning, recording, and filming a video to submit. It was intensely crazy. In the best way possible. I decided to make a cover of her song ‘Elements.’

And this is the end result:

As I mentioned in the video description, I absolutely could not have accomplished this feat without my spectacularific mom. She didn’t even blink when I informed her Thursday morning that I had decided to make a cover before Monday. She filmed for me and let me rehearse the piano at 11:30pm. In short, she’s kind of an epic ninja mom. I can’t thank her enough. :)

Let me know in the comments what you think of my video! I would love to hear your opinions–however, please keep all of your comments courteous and nice (I’m human just like everybody else :)).